Who Knows?

"THE SCOTTISH Government admitted yesterday it has no idea what effect the removal of tolls from the Tay and Forth bridges has had on traffic or the environment. Although it is now more than four months since tolls were removed, roadworks in Dundee and changes to the traffic system at the Forth Road Bridge have made it impossible to accurately map what impact scrapping them has had. The tolls were abolished in February to bring the two east coast bridges in line with the Skye and Erskine bridges, which had already had tolls removed."

Carnegie supported the abolition of tolls on the Forth Bridge on fairness grounds if nothing else. But even he thinks the impact of the change should have been assessed at the very least, so that for future generations we do actually know what benefit or possible negative effects the change brought. To blame the lack of that on road works is a pretty tame justification.

Four pounds saved.

Goodbye Tolls.

One pound saved ....

Bridge to Damascus.

So, Carnegie reads that "THE CONVENER of Forth Estuary Transport Authority has welcomed the imminent abolition of bridge tolls, two years after stating such a move would be “irresponsible.” Councillor Tony Martin yesterday said scrapping tolls on the Forth road bridge was the only fair option. However back in 2006, Mr Martin, who was made convener last year, opposed a motion to lobby the transport minister over tolls, stating it would jeopardise funding for bridge maintenance and projects such as the M9 spur."

At least he saw merit in the argument in the end, albeit after doing his best to block abolition of tolls for at least two years. There is more joy in heaven over a sinner that repenteth .... there are a lot of them about on the issue of tolls abolition on the Forth Road Bridge, but the sad thing is that Councillor Martin is actually a Fife Councillor, albeit a Liberal Democrat one.

St Valentine's Day gift.

"THE final step in axing tolls on the Forth Road Bridge has been taken in the Scottish Parliament. MSPs backed overwhelmingly the scrapping of charges on the Forth and Tay crossings on Thursday and the bridges will be toll-free from 14th February. Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said, “This is a great day for the people of Fife, Tayside and the Lothians."

With love to Fife, but Carnegie says the timing of the removal of tolls was a bit too tacky.

Six weeks and counting.

Carnegie reads: "ON A day of history and high emotion, the Scottish Parliament yesterday passed the law to scrap the tolls on the Forth and Tay road bridges. MSPs voted by 122 votes to three, with one abstention, in favour of the Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill, which will now go forward for Royal Assent. Parliament also backed a Scottish Tory amendment that will prevent bridge authorities from introducing tolls under the guise of congestion charging in the future. The £1 charge on the Forth Bridge and the 80p charge on the Tay bridge could be lifted at the beginning of February."

It's amazing what a difference a couple of years can make since the last time the Scottish Parliament refused to abolish tolls on the same bridges, at the same time as it was abolishing them everywhere else.

£5 million up. £1 million down.

"THEY were built at a cost of £5 million and caused months of traffic disruption to motorists. Now, little more than a year later, a further £1 million will be spent tearing the Forth Road Bridge's hi-tech toll booths down again. Yesterday, it was revealed the project will also bring drivers at least another four months of misery as roadworks and speed limits usher in the abolition of tolls next year."

£6 million of your cash and mine, spent by a bunch of politicians and bridge bureaucrats who couldn't see beyond the end of their noses far enough to recognise that it was a case of when tolls would be abolished on the bridge, not if.

What a waste of public money.

Righting a palpable wrong.

So, "MSPS gave their overwhelming backing to plans to scrap the tolls on the Forth and Tay bridges—the Scottish Government’s first piece of legislation ... The basis of the Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Bill was passed by 107 votes to four with two abstentions. Those who voted against were Green MSPs Robin Harper and Patrick Harvie, Lib Dem Hugh O’Donnell and Tory Margaret Mitchell. Lib Dem Edinburgh MSPs Mike Pringle and Margaret Smith abstained. A Tory spokesman said later that Ms Mitchell supported abolition and voted in error."

So the end is now in sight and Carnegie leaves the last word to MSP Ted Brocklebank: "We are righting a palpable wrong." It's just a pity it took so long. Longer than it had to if some of Fife's elected representatives had shown more commitment for putting the interests of their constituents ahead of those of their party.